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UZ - "Balltrap Muzic, Vol. 1"

That's right, we did post footage from the recording session from this earlier today, and now we've ran through UZ's Balltrap Muzic, Vol. 1 and we must say... we're impressed and underwhelmed. Maybe that's our fault; when UZ hit the ground, everyone from Mad Decent to mau5trap hit him up for some kind of work, be it his original "Trap Shit" instrumentals or remixes to help hop onto that trap wave. And he's done well for himself, with worldwide tours, tons of accolades, and loads of credits to his resume in a remarkably short period of time.

The problem? You want more.

The anticipation for anything UZ is through the roof, and when your first mixtape, while boasting verses from Trinidad Jame$, Trae Da Truth, Problem, Casey Veggies, features a number of your tracks that we've already heard? It definitely hits you in the gut. The "Trap Shit" instrumentals V2, V3, V5, V9, and V11 have already been out there and rinsed out in 2012; the collaboration with Baauer? It's a track we'd been up on since last September. We're glad that the VIP version of "Booty to the Ground" by UZ and CRNKN is finally out, but when you mention these top-tier names, the immediate assumption is that this new project will feature new tracks. Plus, the idea that the file is listed as being "No DJ," which would lead one to believe that it's unmixed, is not true, as this 34-minute tape is definitely mixed.

That's not to say it's awful. UZ and Salva turned up what will more than likely be a spring break anthem for a certain set out there, while "Lurk," which features Djemba Djemba, wears an eerie horror film vibe. The nasty bass on the Clicks & Whistles collaboration "Bull Dozer" is a favorite, and is the track we had been waiting for during their recent guest mix for Plastician, and we applaud each and every track where an MC hops on the beat. The idea that this even happened, where talented rappers hopped on these beats and co-signed what many of us saw in this movement? It's music to our ears.

All-in-all, the problems we have with this aren't huge missteps, but in this day where it takes nothing but a dope record and a SoundCloud account to become a sensation, expectations get raised. It's the nature of the beast. That said, we "got this," and will be bumping it until the next time the masked trapster comes back out to play.